Morning journal and courier., 1887-10-13
THE HEALTH OF ACTREssEs.
A Good Digestion and Vigorous Mus

Good Digestion and Vigorous Mus
 cles Necessary for Success.
 The most charming actresses of the stage
 are, with rare exceptions, women of robust
 health, says New York Sun writer. Per-
 sonal charm has quite as much to do with
 success on the boards as mental ability, per
 haps more; and personal charm-that some-
 thing which lies deeper than mere beauty
 and is called, for want of better word,
 agnetism'-depends to 8 wonderful ex-
 tent on the physical condition of the actress.
 Mrs. Langtry's manager once said that the
 Lily was the best matinee attraction on the
 stage. That is she is attractive to women as
 well as to men. Her healthy English color
 has paled of late, but her beauty is still the
 beauty of good health, and her complexion,
 when she lets it alone, the product of clear
 blood and plenty of exercise. She is a fa-
 nous walker, and must regret her quarrel
 with Coghlan, if only for the chance it lost
 her of still farther advertising in his new
 play her skill with the foils. Coghlan's sis ter is a woman whose success has defed the analysis of clever critics. Rose Coghlan is not pretty-at least her face is not-but two generations have raved over her beauty. Her rude health is the only explanation. She is rugged and her vigor is infectious w Q6u Daly GOOk HIS company 10 EQRkaQQ the London Times called Ada Rehan sspaw- ky" provineialism for charmingly healthy or healthily charming. Ada Rehan is wholesomely we'll woman.
 It is the same with Carrie Turner. She is no beauty, but she is so beautifully healthy that not one person in ten who sees her calls her face to severe account. Mrs. George Gould, before she became the mother of the only baby whose long clothes were ever pho tographed for daily newspaper illustration, was, as Miss Kingdom, a vigorous girl, well cared for by good mother, extremely fond of the open air; and beaming with the roses of exercises.
 Fanny Davenport's strength is a marvel. Her father was a man of fine physical pro- portions, and have seen Fanny myself, as Lady Gay Spanker, catch her Dolly in rap- turous embrace and swing him three times round her, his feet performing dizzy circle in the air, but never touching the floor. Fanny doesn't do that now. The antics that woman went through couple of years ago, when she was trying to get rid of her super abundant flesh, would have killed an ordina- ry woman, but produced little or no effect on her.
 Mary Anderson's charm of manner de- pends on her good blue grass constitution, and am not sure that she doesn't owe more of her freedom from care and worry to good health than to religion, though the latter gets all the credit with her. The Bernhardt used to have the agility and strength of a cat. Patti is robust woman. The queens of opera and tragedy are women of majestic physique. Frau Materna is imposing to look on. Lilli Lehman is woman of mag nifcent health.
 Janauschek is an old woman, but vigor- ous one. Modjeska is as charming as when she was younger. 1 have seen poor Selina Dolaro, when she must have been past forty, carry whole theater full of people into rap- lures by the vigor and physical perfection of Spanish shawl dance. Annie Robe is so sound of health that her skin keeps fresh enough to call for no make up after years on the stage. She has never even tried a dash of powder. Annie Pixley is we'll woman, with skin as soft a baby's. Rosina Vokes was something of an invalid last year, but years ago, when the Vokeses were all to- | gether, it was the bloom and flush of health | in the faces ot the girls quite as much as Fred Vokes' funny long legs and Fawndon Vokes' funny short ones that made them popular Rosina has fine constitution to back her.
 There has never been any nonsense about fashionable pallor on the stage. Stage beau ties, in spite of the late hours, the vexation l and fatigues of travelling, the strain of the | work, exposure to draughts, etc., are strong women, and women off the stage are finding out that by cultivating health they too culti- vate in equal proportion good looks and charm.